Ravens MVP of the week: Joe Flacco

After traveling to Pittsburgh and defeating the Steelers on Sunday night, Baltimore improved to 3-1 and sit tied atop the AFC North with Cincinnati. In the Ravens’ 26-14 victory in Heinz Field, no player performed better than quarterback Joe Flacco.

Flacco has started the 2018 season with a bang. Through the first four games, Flacco has thrown for 1,252 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 64.33% of his passes. Flacco has performed like a top-10 quarterback thus far this season.

Sunday night brought another excellent performance from the veteran quarterback. In a hostile rival environment, Flacco threw for 363 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, averaging 8.6 yards per throw and completing 28 of 42 attempts.

Flacco and the offense set the tone early with a 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game. The final play of the drive was a completed pass to wide receiver John Brown, who split past two Steelers’ defenders for a 33-yard touchdown. The two have displayed strong chemistry since Brown was signed in free agency.

After a forced fumble by Ravens safety Tony Jefferson, Flacco put the ball in the end zone again, this time throwing to running back Alex Collins for a three-yard touchdown.

Flacco’s longest throw of the day was a deep arching pass to Brown in the second quarter that went for 71-yards, showing he still has one of the strongest arms in the NFL.

Although the offense was unable to score another touchdown, Flacco continued to deliver accurate passes in critical situations. 11 different players caught passes for Baltimore during the game as Flacco was able to stand tall in the pocket and survey the field. On several key third downs, Flacco connected with wide receiver Willie Snead IV to convert and sustain the drive. Flacco targeted fourth-year tight end Maxx Williams five times as well, for 51 yards. Wide receivers, tight ends and running backs were all involved in the passing game against Pittsburgh.

Flacco has led the Ravens to the eighth-ranked passing offense. A much-improved start to the season compared to 2017.